Electric switch



June 26, 1934. H. A. DOUGLAS ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Feb. 20, 1933 2Sheets-Sheet l June '26, 1934. DQUGLAS 1,964,561

ELECTRIC SWITCH and Feb. 20, 1933 2 sheets-sheet 2 (2/? 0M9 Q/J PatentedJune 26, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE scum.

This invention relates to electric switches for controlling a pluralityof electric circuits, and among other objects, aims to provide a unitaryswitch by means of which a plurality of pairs of electrical conductorsmay be placed in electrical connection while maintained insulated onefrom the other, and also by means of which a single pair of electricalconductors may be placed in electrical connection.

The invention is of particular utility when embodied in a four-positiontoggle switch for controlling the "bright and tilt" filaments of anautomobile driving light, in which use the invention is herespecifically described.

1 .Other obiects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription taken together with the accompanying drawings. in which-Figurelisanaxialsectionofaswitchembodying my invention and being asection on a somewhat larger scale taken on the line l-1 of Figure 2;

I Figure 2 is an end view of the structure of Figure 1 on a somewhatsmaller scale taken on the lineL;32 of Figure 1;

a Figure 3 is a broken cross-section taken on the of Figure 1 on a scalecorresponding to Figure 2;

s Figure 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1 on ascale corresponding to Fig- '0 ures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is an end view of the structure of Figure 1 taken from the lefthand side and showing on a somewhat smaller scale the actuator andlegend plate for the switch; and

Figure 6 is a circuit diagram illustrating the specific application ofthe switch here described.

Referring in detail to the figures of the drawings and particularly toFigure 6, the illustrative circuit diagram shows a conventionalarrangement of two automobile headlights 1 and 2 and a driving light 3.In this instance, the headlights 1 and 2 carry a single incandescentelectric bulb 4 provided with a "bright" filament 5, which may ibelocated in the focus of the reflector of the 5 headlight, and a tiltfilament 6, which may be located slightly above the focus of thereflector so as when energized, to direct its rays downwardly upon theroad. Similarly, the driving light 3 may also have a single incandescentbulb 7 carrying a 50 "bright" filament 8 and a "tilt filament 9. Thefilaments 5 and 6 may be connected to a common ground and the filaments8 and 9 to a common ground 11, which ground may be the metallic frame ofthe vehicle to provide a return path as for the electric current to thegrounded battery 12,

all in accordance with conventional automotive lighting practice.

The "bright" filaments 5-and the "tilt" filaments 6 of the headlightsmay be controlled by any suitable switching'mechanism such as thatillustrated diagrammatically at 13, which is in series with the battery12 by means of the insulated conductor 14 and which is shown in serieswith the conductors 15 and 16, leading to the "bright" and "tilt"filaments respectively of the headlight 1, the conductors 15a and 16abeing branched from the conductors 15 and 16, respectively, to the otherheadlight 2. By means of the movable contact 17, either the "bright"filaments of both headlights or the "tilt" filaments of both headlightsmay be energized, or all these filaments may have a circuit therethroughdiscontinued in the o position of the switching mechanism 13. As shownin full lines in Figure 6, the movable contact 17 is in position toenergize the tilt" filaments 6 of the headlights 1 and 2, the otheroperative positions of the movable contact 17 being indicated by dottedlines.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide the auxiliaryswitching mechanism 18 for causing the driving light 3 to be controlledeither by the switching mechanism 13 or, independently of the switchingmechanism 13, by the switch 18 itself. For convenience the switchingmechanism 13 is usually mounted on the steering column (not shown), andthe switch 18 of my present invention, may be conveniently mounted onthe instrument panel 19 (Figs. 1 and 5) The switch 18 preferablycomprises a metallic cup-shaped casing 20 closed at one end by aninsulating closure including in this instance an inner bakelite disc 21and an outer fiber disc 22, the casing 20 having prong continuations 23which are bent over the fiber disc to hold the discs in place, anannular shoulder 24 in the casing 20 limiting inwardly movement of theinner disc 21. At its opposite end the casing 20 carries centrallythereof a bearing member 25 firmly riveted to the casing as at 26 andwhich may be externally threaded as at 27. By means of the clamping nut28, in cooperation with the threads 27, the switch 18 may be secured tothe instrument panel 19, the bearing member 25 passing through asuitable aperture 29 in the panel, and the nut 28 being then screwed onthe bearing member. A spring washer 30 may be interposed between thepanel and the casing 20 to guard against jarring loose of the nut 28,and this nut may also clamp to the panel 19, about the bearing member25, the legend plate 31. As shown in Figure 5,

the legend plate indicates the respective operative positions of theactuator 32 for the switch. The actuator 32 has a spherical portion 33which has universal movement in the bearing member 25, about the axis ofthe casing 20, a shoulder 33a in the bearing limiting forward movementof the actuator.

In accordance with my invention, the insulating closure of the switch 18carries two current conducting abutments 34 and 35 disposed centrally ofthe closure, but equally spaced apart on either side of the axis of thecasing, which passes medially between the abutments. The abutments 34and 35 are desirably produced in the form of hollow metallic tubeshaving dome-shaped terminations 36 and telescoping within metallicsleeves 37 secured to the disc 22 and passing through the disc 21. Thetube and the sleeve together houses a compression coil spring 38 whichpresses the abutments 34, 35, as the case may be, inwardly of the casing20. The sleeves 37 may be riveted to the disc 22 as at 39, and may alsoclamp to themselves and to the disc (between the riveted shoulder 39 anda shoulder 39a) a terminal 40 for the abutment 34 and a terminal 41 forthe abutment 35. By means of the usual binding screws, such as thebinding screw 42, the terminal 41 may have electrically and mechanicallyconnected thereto the insulated conductor 43 whichis in series with thebright filament of the driving light 3. Similarly, the terminal 40 mayhave connected thereto the insulated conductor 44, which is in serieswith the tilt filament 9 of the driving light.

' The insulating closures 21 and 22 also carry a plurality of abutmentselliptically disposed about the spring pressed abutments 34 and 35, asbest shown in Figure 3. In this instance, these elliptically disposedabutments include the abutments 45 and 46 which are in the form ofcontact continuations of terminals 4'1 and 48, respectively, which, bymeans of the insulated conductors 49 and 50 are each electricallyconnected with the battery 12. The elliptically disposed abutments alsoinclude two other current conducting abutments 51 and 52 which are inthe form of contact continuations of the terminals 53 and 54,respectively. The terminal 54, by means of the insulated conductor 55,is in parallel with the conductor 15 for the bright filaments of theheadlights, and the terminal 53, by means of the conductor 56, is inparallel with the conductor 16 for the tilt filaments of the headlights.The elliptically disposed abutments may also advantageously include twonon-current conducting abutments 5'7 and 58. These elliptically disposedabutments may be firmly secured to the insulating closure by having aflat portion 59 which is clamped between the discs 21 and 22, theabutments themselves passing through the disc 21 to be projected intothe interior of the casing slightly beyond the inner surface of the disc21 to a less distance than the abutments 34 and 35.

Floating on the spring pressed abutments 34 and 35 is an insulatingplate 60 which, as best shown in Figure 4, is advantageously in the formof a figure-8. The insulating plate 60 is provided with two spaced apartmetallic surfaces 61 and 62 which are in abutment with the springpressed abutments 34 and 35, respectively. As here shown, the metallicsurfaces areprovided by thin metallic sheets of partially circular formand having an arcuate flanged margin 63 which extends for more thanone-hundred eighty degrees of a circle to snugly lap the edges of onebranch of the figure-8 of the plate 60. constructed the metallic sheetsproviding the surfaces 61 and 62 constitute somewhat spring clips whichgrip themselves to the plate 60. To fix the position of the plate 60with respect to the abutments 34 and 35 and to provide a ball and socketengagement between the plate and these abutments, the plate is recessedor depressed as at 64 at substantially the center of each branch of thefigure-8 and the thin sheets constituting the metallic surfaces 61 and62 have each a spheroidal indentation therein, as at 65, which isreceived in the recess 64 in theplate 60, the domeshaped terminations 36of the abutments 34 and 35 being received in the spheroidal indentations65.

The floating insulating plate 60 is maintained in engagement with theabutments 34 and 35 by means of the nose 66 of the actuator 32. It maybe said also that both the actuator and the floating plate aremaintained in position by the abutments 34 and 35 in cooperation withthe bearing member 25, it being understood that the actuator may beinserted from the rear of the switch before the closures 21 and 22 areclamped thereon.

In this instance, the actuator 32 is conveniently made of metal and isinsulated from the current conducting abutments of the switch by thebody of the insulating plate 60 against which the nose of the-actuatorhas frictional engagement and upon which the nose 66 is movable in agenerally circular path concentric with the axis of the casing 20 andcoinciding with the median line between the abutments 34 and 35. It willbe understood that the nose is also movable diametrically of thecircular path referred to. The nose 66 of the actuator is of sufficientlength so that the insulating plate 60 is depressed by the actuator inthe region of the plate against which the nose 66 bears, at any giventime, one or more of the springs 38 being then compressed to permit theabutment 34 or 35 adjacent thereto, as the case may be, to be alsodepressed. Normally, the resilient abutments 34-35 maintain the metallicsurfaces 61-62 of the floating plate 60 out of contact with theelliptically disposed abutments 45, 46, 51, 52, 57 and 58, but when theplate 60 is depressed as just described, and as shown in Figure 1, themetallic surface 62 is brought into contact with the abutment 46, thusforming an electrical bridge between the current conducting abutment 35and the current conducting abutment 46 and placing the bright filamentof the driving light 3 in circuit with the battery to energize thisfilament, independently of the switching mechanism 13. It will beunderstood that at this time, while the abutment 35 yields to permit theplate 60 to be directly depressed by the nose of the actuator, theabutment 34 also tends to tilt the plate further in the direction of theabutment 46 to make contact therewith, the nose of the actuator actingas a fulcrum. Furthermore, the abutment 34 acts at this time as aresilient means for determining the selected position of the actuator32, the actuator being then disposed in a circumferential notch 68 (Fig.5) formed in the bore of the bearing 25 to further assist in determiningthe position of the actuator.

Similarly, when the actuator is moved to the position diametricallyopposite to that shown in Figure 1, with the actuator in the notch 67,the metallic surface 61 is brought into contact with the abutment 45 andan electrical bridge is formed between the abutment 34 and the abutment45 to place only the "tilt" filament 9 of the driving light 3 in serieswith the battery and energizing this filament independently of theswitching mechanism 13. Thus the abutments 45 and 46 being on oppositesides of and outwardly disposed with respect to the central abutments 34and 35 are respectively complementary to these abutments, but are notcomplementary to each other, because of the spaced apart relationship ofthe metallic surfaces 61 and 62 preventing any electrical contactbetween these two groups of abutments.

These two groups of abutments may also include respectively the abutment51 and the abutment 52, the abutment 51 being complementary to thecentral abutment 34 and the abutment 52 being complementary to thecentral abutment 35, the abutments 51 and 52 being disposed somewhat atright angles to the other complementary abutments 45 and 46. Thus whenthe actuator 32 is moved to a position at right angles to the twopositions last described and is received in the notch 69, the plate 60is depressed by the nose of the actuator in the region of the abutments51 and 52 and upon a line medially between these abutments so as tocause the metallic surface 61 to form an electrical bridge between thecentral abutment 34 and the abutment 51 and also to cause the metallicsurface 62 to form an electrical bridge between the central abutment 35and the abutment 52. The resiliency of these central abutments 34, 35also assists in tilting the plate into this position with the nose ofthe actuator as a fulcrum. At this time the filaments of the drivinglight are under control of the switching mechanism 11. That is, the"bright filament 8 of the driving light is in parallel with theconductor 15 for the "bright" filaments of the headlights through theconductor 43, terminal 41, central abutment 35, complementary abutment52, terminal 54, and conductor 55. At the same time the tilt filament 9of the driving light is in parallel with the conductor 16 for the tiltfilaments of the headlights through the conductor 44, terminal 40,central abutment 34, complementary abutment 51, terminal 53 andconductor 56. Thus when the switching mechanism 13 is in the positionshown in full lines in Figure 6, the tilt" filament of the drivinglight, as well as the tilt" filaments of the headlights is energized.When the switching mechanism 13 is placed in the positions shown indotted lines either the filaments of all of these lights are deenergizedor the bright" filament of the driving light is energized at the sametime as the bright filaments of the headlights. Thus by placing theactuator 32 of the switching mechanism 18 in the notch 69, the operatorof the vehicle may, if he desires, ignore this switching mechanism 18and nevertheless have the driving light the same as the headlights atall times, or by moving the actuator 32 into the notches 67 or 68 asdesired, he may control the driving light independently of theheadlights.

If the operator wishes to extinguish the driving light entirelyregardless of whether the headlights are on or off, he may move theactuator 32 into the notch 70 at which time the insulating plate 60 willbe tilted into abutment with the non-current conducting abutments 5'7and 58, at which time the central abutments 34 and 35 are entirely outof circuit.

Having described an embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. An electric switch comprising a plurality of resilient currentconducting abutments, complementary current conducting-abutmentsadjacent to each of the resilient abutments, an insulating member havinga plurality of spaced apart metallic surfaces each abutting one of theresilient abutments, said resilient abutments normally yieldinglymaintaining the metallic surfaces out of contact with the complementaryabutments, and means for selectively depressing the insulating member inthe region'of one of the resilient abutments to cause the metallicsurface abutting the last mentioned abutment to also engage thecomplementary abutment adjacent thereto.

2. An electric switch comprising a plurality of spring pressed currentconducting abutments, complementary current conducting abutmentsadjacent to each of the spring pressed abutments, an insulating memberhaving a plurality of spaced apart metallic surfaces each abutting oneof the spring pressed abutments, said spring pressed abutmentsnormallyyieldingly maintaining the metallic surfaces out of contact withthe complementary abutments, and means for selectively depressing theinsulating member in the region of one of the spring pressed abutmentsto cause the metallic surface abutting the last mentioned abutment toalso engage the complementary abutment adjacent thereto.

3. An electric switch comprising two spring pressed current conductingabutments; a complementary current conducting abutment adjacent each ofthe spring pressed abutments; an insulating member having two spacedapart metallic surfaces each abutting one of the spring pressedabutments, said spring pressed abutments normally yieldingly maintainingthe metallic surfaces out of contact with the complementary abutments;and a universally movable actuator maintainingthe insulating member infloating engagement with the spring pressed abutments, and selectivelymovable to depress the insulating member in the region of one of thespring pressed abutments to cause the metallic surface abutting the lastmentioned abutment to also engage the complementary abutment adjacentthereto.

4. An electric switch comprising a metallic cupshaped casing; aninsulating closure for one end thereof; two spaced apart currentconducting abutments disposed centrally of the closure, said abutmentsbeing spring pressed inwardly of the casing: a plurality of abutmentsincluding a plurality of current conducting abutments carried by theclosure and disposed elliptically about the spring pressed abutments; abearing at the opposite end of the casing; a metallic actuator havinguniversal movement in the bearing about a center line passing mediallybetween the spring pressed abutments; an insulating plate floating onthe spring pressed abutments having spaced apart metallic surfaces eachabutting one of the spring pressed abutments by a ball and socketengagement, said plate being held in floating engagement with the springpressed abutments by said actuator, the actuator having a nose infrictional engagement with the plate and movable to at least threepoints in an arc of a circle on the plate, whereby the plate is tiltedby the spring pressed abutments with the nose of the actuator as afulcrum to cause the metallic surfaces of the plate to selectivelyengage the complementary contacts.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein the insulating plate is of figure-8shape having a depression at substantially the center of each branch ofthe 8 and the metallic surfaces are provided by thin metallic sheets ofpartially circular form and having an arcuate flanged margin of more I.The structure of claim 4 wherein the elliptically disposed abutmentscomprise two current conducting abutments, complementary respectively toeach of the spring pressed abutments and a non-conducting currentabutment complementary to each spring pressed abutment.

8. The structure 0! claim 4 wherein the bearing has at least threecircumferential notches therein receiving the actuator to determine itsrespective positions.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS.

